“Dante . . .” The fear had thickened in her voice.
He didn’t waste time telling her to run. She couldn’t see in the dark like he could. He picked her up, held her slight body tightly in his arms, and raced through the falling tunnel.
The air became thicker the farther he went. He could discern no light up ahead. He said nothing to Cassie, not wanting her to know what he worried—
That they were trapped in the darkness.
More explosions seemed to rock the building behind them. The enemies that Cassie had spoken of—it seemed as if they were trying to blast their way to her.
Dante inhaled deeply, trying to catch a scent past the smoke and dirt. He needed fresh air. Needed an escape for them.
Got it. He pushed forward, moving even faster, and then he saw it. Not in front of him, but above him. A thin stream of light coming from the ceiling.
There was a ladder to the left, one built into the wall. Cassie climbed up first, and he saw her hand punch out at the ceiling, only it wasn’t really a ceiling. The wood above them swung open—a trapdoor. And more light shone down on them. She jumped off the ladder, and he rushed up after her.
They were in a cabin, an old, musty cabin. Someone had left a lantern on the floor, and that was where the light had come from.
“We did it,” Cassie whispered.
Dante wasn’t so sure that they’d done anything, not yet. “This place isn’t safe.” His body was taut, on edge with tension. Because he could feel danger lurking close by.
He went to the door, yanked it open, and stared into the night.
“We’ll have to meet the others,” Cassie whispered behind him. “But first we have to find Vaughn. He’s a primal vampire and I can’t let him stay loose on—”
A loud scream split the night.
Dante tensed.
That scream had come from the right . . . about thirty yards away. In those thick woods.
He stalked forward. The scent of blood teased his nose.
The scream came again, but was abruptly choked off. Dante kept gazing into the darkness.
Cassie ran by him, rushing toward the right and that scream. Her move made no sense to him. Why? Why would she rush to danger?
But if Cassie was going that way, so was he. Dante lunged after her.
Gone.
Jon watched the flames consume what was left of Cassie’s secret lab. Oh, but she’d thought she was clever.
She was wrong.
The flames were crackling as they shot higher into the sky. The explosions had started moments before. Destroying. There would be only rubble and ash left when he was done.
“Was she in there?” Shaw asked as she crept toward him. She wasn’t the only one giving him a wide berth. Most of his men looked at him with fear in their eyes.
He’d just risen before them.
They were right to fear him.
“The phoenix wouldn’t let her die.” He was certain of that. “He got her out.” The question was . . . how.
Jon turned away from the fire. “Every Genesis lab that I’ve ever been in has an emergency exit. Cassie would have made sure that her lab had one, too.”
Shaw’s eyes widened.
“Get a map of the area. I want to search every building, every cabin, every damn shack within a two mile radius.” An emergency escape had to lead somewhere. When he found that place, he’d find Cassie.
“Are you . . . are you all right?” Shaw asked him carefully.
“Of course. I’m fine, I—”
She pointed to his arms. His face. “You have blisters on you. From the fire.”
He stilled. He hadn’t even felt the pain, but as he lifted his arms, he saw the marks that ran from his wrists to his elbows.
Phoenixes weren’t supposed to be hurt by the fire.
But then, he hadn’t been born a phoenix.
Shit. I need more injections.
More tears from a phoenix.
“Get that search going!” Jon snarled. He’d get his tears, either from Dante or . . .
The female phoenix.
The weak, nearly broken phoenix who had family in New Orleans. Jon hadn’t forgotten about her. If he couldn’t get to Dante, then he would get to her. In New Orleans, that phoenix had a foster family that he could use in order to get to her.
He would use anyone or anything if it suited his purposes.
And he would kill anyone or anything.
He stormed away from the others. He stared into the night. Cassie was out there, he knew it. With Dante.
Jon inhaled deeply, trying to pull in their scents. One of his first enhancements with Genesis had been his sense of smell. It was even better than a full-blooded wolf shifter’s.
Fucking better.
He inhaled and caught the coppery scent of blood.
Jon smiled. I’ve got you.
“Follow me!” he yelled to his men—those still alive, anyway. His fire had taken out five of them.
“Vaughn!”
Cassie broke through the clearing and saw the vampire on the ground. He was moaning, twisting. She rushed toward him—
And found herself jerked back by her phoenix.
“Vampire,” Dante said in her ear. “Don’t get close to him.”
But Vaughn seemed hurt. He wasn’t talking, just making a faint, moaning sound in his throat.
“Did he get burned?” Cassie whispered. She had to get a better look at him.
“I don’t smell burns on him.” Dante pulled her closer against his body. “Just blood. The vampire fed recently.”
Oh, no. Vaughn had gone into that tunnel right after Jamie and Charles. And it wasn’t like there were a whole lot of people running out in the night.
Footsteps pounded. Voices shouted.
“Men are coming,” Dante said. “We either kill them or we run.”
Okay, so there were a lot of people running out there.
“Vaughn. Vaughn, look at me,” Cassie commanded as desperation flooded through her.
Dante’s hold tightened. “Your voice. Sin . . . sweet . . .”
Cassie cleared her throat. Now probably wasn’t the best time to have a little chat about her voice. “Vaughn, look at me.”
His head lifted. The moonlight fell over him, revealing the deep lines of anguish on his face. “H-help . . . burns . . .”
There was blood on his mouth. Dripping down his chin. “Vaughn, who did you bite?”
“B-boy . . .”
Jamie?
Jamie’s blood had the antibodies in it. “I need to get closer to him.” She fought against Dante’s too-tight hold.
Dante’s mouth was near her ear. “That’s not happening. And those men are coming closer. Are they our enemies?”